The use of a paint roller and a paint roller tray or pan is well known by both professional and amateur painters. The paint roller conventionally has a handle, an arm extending from the handle that bends three times at right angles, and a roller head disposed on a distal end of the arm. The handle has internal threads and is capable of removably attaching to a pole with a threaded end. A typical paint roller tray is generally rectangular in shape and has a perimeter of upwardly extending walls terminating in a rim. The tray bottom has a flat portion and a slanted portion. The flat portion constitutes a well for containing the bulk of liquid paint, and the slanted portion transitions from the well to a shallow end of the tray. The paint roller is dipped into the well, and excess paint is removed by rolling the roller on the slanted portion. Conventionally, the tray has two legs supporting the shallow end of the tray to keep the tray essentially horizontal and level. The well end of the tray usually rests on the ground or other surface, or it may have two legs shorter than those at the opposite end.
There are several issues with currently available trays. For example, after a painter completes one section, he or she has to move the tray filled with paint to a new section. In order to move the tray, the painter must bend over or crouch, which can put strain on the painter's back or legs. Moreover, a tray filled with paint can be heavy, and grasping it can be awkward. In addition, current trays may be flimsy and can easily tip over, resulting in undesired spilled paint. Due to these issues, rather than moving the tray, a painter may leave the tray in one location and travel back and forth over a long distance.
Furthermore, when a painter wants to take a break, he or she will leave the paint roller in the tray. In order to resume painting, he or she must bend over or crouch to retrieve the roller. It can also be difficult to access other painting accessories, such as a paint brush, painting tape, or a rag.
Accessing the tray can be even more difficult when the painter is on a ladder or stairs. In order to put additional paint on the roller, the painter must either carry the tray up the ladder or stairs, or go down the ladder or stairs to access the tray.